FOR TWO days Manchester Central plays host to the North’s biggest hospitality trade show during Northern Hospitality Week (17-23 March).
"Vegetarian restaurants can go in Room 101, it's such a tiny market and they complain more than anyone"
From the 18-19 March thousands of trade guests will visit the convention centre for the Northern Restaurant and Bar Show 2014 (NRB), getting stuck in to more than fifty discussions, tastings and demonstrations while taking in over 200 hospitality suppliers, hustling wares from wine to watermelon, cheese to chairs and menus to mangos.
The event also welcomes star chefs Simon Rogan (The French), James Martin (James Martin Manchester235), Michael Caines (Abode), Harry Yeung (Yang Sing), Aiden Byrne (Manchester House) and more, as they take to the Chef Live theatre stage to dish out live cooking demos for visitors.
Manchester Central
Tuesday afternoon saw Tim Bacon and Jeremy Roberts of Living Ventures, chef director Paul Askew of London Carriage Works and the Hope Street Hotel in Liverpool, and Michelin-starred chef Marc Wilkinson of Fraiche all receive Special Achievement recognition at the NRB's third annual 'Top 50 Most Influential' awards.
The awards celebrate the 50 best operators from across the North's hospitality industry, giving nods, among others, to: Almost Famous creators Beau Myers and Marie Carter (Beautiful Drinks), Carlo and Marcello Distefano (San Carlo Group), Cleo Farman (Odd Bars), Jobe Ferguson and Ross McKenzie (Black Dog), David Fox and Nick Jeffrey (Tampopo), Alex Hannah (Lucha Libre), William Lee Jones (J W Lees), Mike Magrane (The Midland Hotel), Joel Wilkinson (Trof), Roger Ward (Chop Houses), Dave Mooney and Paul Newman (New Moon Pubs) and Manchester new-boys, Scott Munro and James Douglas (Red's True BBQ).
Tim Bacon (CEO, Living Ventures) and Thom Hetherington (MD Northern Restaurant & Bar)
2014 also saw the NRB's first debate, where Manchester hospitality heavyweights Tim Bacon (CEO, Living Ventures) and Marcello Distefano (MD, San Carlo Group) discussed the North’s burgeoning dining scene, expansion, planning issues, trends and how "Vegetarian restaurants can go in Room 101, it's such a tiny market and they complain more than anyone." Sorry Tim.
Thom Hetherington, MD of Northern Restaurant and Bar said:
"It's been an unbelievable show this year, with our inaugural NRB Debate sold out, visitor numbers through the roof, and a hugely successful charity dinner for Action Against Hunger. It's simply testament to the strength of the resurgent restaurant and bar industry in the North of England. Roll on 2015."
